Method, apparatus, and system for bidding in rounds

ABSTRACT

A method of conducting an auction in at least two rounds is disclosed. The method includes conducting the first auction round, applying a rule to an occurrence in the first auction round, and conducting the second auction round in accordance with the application of the rule to the occurrence in the first auction round. A system for conducting an auction in at least two rounds is also disclosed. The system includes a sponsor processor, a first bidder processor communicating with the sponsor processor, and a second bidder processor communicating with the sponsor processor. In the system, the sponsor processor contains instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to conduct the first auction round, apply a rule to an occurrence in the first auction round, and conduct a second auction round in accordance with the applied rule.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 09/252,790, filed Feb. 19, 1999, currently pendingand assigned to the assignee of the present invention.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The disclosed invention relates generally to conducting multiple auctionrounds for one or more lots of goods or services, and in particular, tobasing a rule for an auction round on an occurrence in a previousauction round, wherein a condition for defining the rule is definedprior to commencing the previous auction.

2. Description of the Background

Procurement of goods and services have traditionally involved hightransaction costs. The cost of finding and qualifying potential biddershas been particularly high. The advent of electronic commerce hasintroduced new methods of procurement that lower some of the transactioncosts associated with procurement. Electronic procurement, in particularbusiness-to-business electronic procurement, matches buyers andsuppliers and facilitates transactions that take place on networkedprocessors.

Four models of electronic procurement have been developed: catalog,buyer-bidding auctions, seller-bidding auctions, and exchangemarketplaces.

The “catalog” model was an early form of online electronic procurement.Initially, electronic catalogs were developed primarily by sellers,typically suppliers, to help customers obtain information aboutproducts, and order supplies electronically. Those first electroniccatalogs were single-source; i.e. they only allowed customers to obtaininformation and products from that supplier.

Although the first electronic catalogs reduced the information searchcost associated with procurement, customers were disadvantageously“locked in” to one supplier at each electronic catalog. Customers werethus unable to compare a number of competing products in a singlecatalog. Therefore, certain suppliers with single-source catalogs beganincluding competitors' products in their systems. The inclusion ofcompeting products in electronic catalogs reduced procurementinformation search costs even further. By offering competing products,electronic catalogs became “electronic markets.”

Many electronic catalogs, however, were biased toward the supplieroffering the electronic catalog, and it was thought that procurementcosts could be lowered further through an unbiased market. Therefore,third-party “market makers” developed markets for many standard productsand services, which were intended to be unbiased markets.

Electronic commerce using the electronic catalog model typicallyinvolves one buyer and one seller at a time. When many buyers competefor the right to buy from one seller, a buyer-bidding auction model, orforward auction, is created. Catalog and buyer-bidding auction models,however, have limitations and do not work well in every situation. Forexample, it is difficult for a supplier to publish set prices in acatalog for custom products. Therefore, when a buyer requires a customproduct, pricing for that product typically will not be found in acatalog. Likewise, it is difficult to specify a custom product andidentify buyers who might use that custom product for a buyer-biddingauction. Additionally, there may be only one buyer interested in acustom product, such that a buyer-bidding auction may not be applicablein all cases. Thus, few suppliers can typically provide custom goods andservices and standard product and pricing information is typically notavailable for buyers of custom industrial products.

Referring again to the cost of traditional procurement, and particularlyprocurement of custom products and services, when a company required acustom product, a buyer for the company would typically procure theproduct by searching for potential suppliers and then acquire pricequotes from the potential suppliers for the needed custom product. Thesearch tended to be slow and random, and typically relied heavily onpersonal relationships. The costs associated with locating vendors,comparing prices, and negotiating a deal were therefore large. The costof switching suppliers was also large, such that an incumbent supplier'squoted price was most likely not the lowest price he could offer becausethe incumbent supplier knew the buyer would face switching costs to useanother supplier. As an additional consequence, new suppliers had adifficult time entering the market because of those high switchingcosts.

Therefore, supplier-bidding auctions for products and services definedby a buyer have been developed. The assignee of the present applicationhas developed a system in which sellers downwardly bid against oneanother to achieve the lowest market price in a supplier-biddingauction. In such auctions, various goods or services may simultaneouslybe placed for auction. In certain situations, however, there is a needto provide two or more auctions falling chronologically one afteranother. Each such auction falling in chronological order is referred toherein as an “auction round.”

Thus, there is a need for a system, apparatus and process whereby asponsor may conduct an auction having multiple auction rounds which isreferred to herein as “bidding in rounds.” Furthermore, when bidding inauction rounds, there is a need to provide a system, apparatus andprocess whereby an aspect of a subsequent auction round may be based onan occurrence in a previous round.

There is also a need for a system, a method, and an apparatus thatallows a purchaser to purchase goods and/or services from more than onesupplier. There is a need for a system, a method, and an apparatus thatallows a purchaser to purchase a quantity of goods or service that isgreater than the quantity that at least one bidding supplier is able toprovide. Furthermore, there is a need for a system, a method, and anapparatus that allows a purchaser to view the actions of bidders in anauction, weigh those actions, and determine from those actions whichbidders will be invited to participate in a future auction.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with one form of the present invention, there is provideda method and system of conducting an auction in at least two rounds. Themethod includes forming a rule for a second auction round, conductingthe first auction round, applying the rule to an occurrence in the firstauction round, and conducting a second auction round in accordance withthe applied rule. In a preferred embodiment, an outcome of the firstauction round, such as, for example, the identity of one or more leadingbidders in the first round, the identity of the bidder that was awardeda contract in the first round, or the identity of one or morenon-leading bidders in the first round, are used in conjunction with therule in order to determine the conduct of the second auction round. Themethod of the present invention can be applied to both reverse andforward auctions. In addition, the method is particularly applicable toonline auctions where bidders submit bids to an auction coordinatorelectronically through an online facility during the auction process.

In a particular embodiment, the method of the present invention isdirected to the conducting of an auction in at least two rounds. In thisembodiment, a determination is made that a bidder may participate in asubsequent auction round only if the bidder was not awarded a contractin a previous auction round. In accordance with this embodiment, a firstauction round is conducted, and a contract is awarded to a bidder in thefirst auction round. Thereafter, a second auction round that includesonly bidders that were not awarded a contract in the first auction roundis conducted.

In accordance with another embodiment, the present invention is directedto a method of conducting an auction in at least two rounds, wherein adetermination is made that a bidder may participate in a subsequentauction round if that bidder is a leading bidder in a previous auctionround. In accordance with this aspect of the invention, a first auctionround which includes a plurality of bidders is conducted, and one ormore of the plurality of the bidders is designated as non-leadingbidder(s) in accordance with the conducting of the first auction round.Thereafter, a second auction round that excludes the non-leading biddersis conducted. In further embodiments, a third auction round whichincludes only leading bidders from a first or second auction round maybe subsequently conducted.

A system for conducting an auction in at least two rounds is alsodisclosed. The system includes a sponsor processor, a first bidderprocessor communicating with the sponsor processor, and a second bidderprocessor communicating with the sponsor processor. The sponsorprocessor contains instructions which, when executed by the processor,cause the processor to conduct a first auction round, apply a rule to anoccurrence in the first auction round, and conduct a second auctionround in accordance with the applied rule.

A computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon is alsodisclosed. The instructions are such that when executed by a processor,the instructions cause the processor to conduct the first auction round,apply a rule to an occurrence in the first auction round, and conduct asecond auction in accordance with the applied rule.

In accordance with yet a further embodiment, the present invention isdirected to a bidding device operated by a bidder during an onlineauction. The bidding device could, for example, be a personal computer,workstation, or terminal used by the bidder during the auction. Thebidding device includes software that enables the bidder to submit bidsto a sponsor processor during a first auction round. The sponsorprocessor applies a rule to an occurrence in the first auction round.The bidding device is then selectively enabled to allow the bidder tosubmit bids to the sponsor processor in a second auction round inaccordance with the applied rule.

Thus, the present invention provides a method, apparatus and systemwhereby a sponsor may beneficially conduct an auction having multipleauction rounds. Furthermore, the present invention beneficially providesa method, apparatus and system whereby an aspect of a subsequent auctionround may be based on an occurrence in a previous round.

The present invention also provides a system, a method, and an apparatusthat allows a purchaser to purchase goods and/or services from more thanone supplier. In addition, the present invention provides a system, amethod, and an apparatus that allows a purchaser to purchase a quantityof goods or service that is greater than the quantity that at least onebidding supplier is able to provide. Furthermore, the present inventionprovides a system, a method, and an apparatus that allows a purchaser toview the actions of bidders in an auction, weigh those actions, anddetermine from those actions which bidders will be invited toparticipate in a future auction.

Accordingly, the present invention provides solutions to theshortcomings of prior online auctions. Those of ordinary skill in theart will readily appreciate, therefore, that those and other details,features, and advantages will become further apparent in the followingdetailed description of the preferred embodiments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals are employedto designate like parts or steps, are included to provide a furtherunderstanding of the invention, are incorporated in and constitute apart of this specification, and illustrate embodiments of the inventionthat together with the description serve to explain the principles ofthe invention.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1A is a schematic illustration of the entities involved in anembodiment of an auction wherein the sponsor identifies goods orservices to be purchased in a request for quotation;

FIG. 1B is a schematic illustration of entities participating in anembodiment of an auction;

FIG. 1C is a schematic illustration of entities participating in anembodiment of a contract award following an auction;

FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of communications links between thecoordinator, the buyer, and the suppliers in an embodiment of anauction;

FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of auction software and computershosting that software in an embodiment of an auction;

FIG. 4 is a schematic illustration of an embodiment of an auctionnetwork;

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating an embodiment of an auction thatoccurs in rounds, in accordance with the present invention; and

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating another embodiment of an auctionthat occurs in rounds, in accordance with the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of thepresent invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings. It is to be understood that the Figures and descriptions ofthe present invention included herein illustrate and describe elementsthat are of particular relevance to the present invention, whileeliminating, for purposes of clarity, other elements found in typicalauction systems and computer networks. The present invention describedbelow extends the operation of the inventive auction systems and methodsdescribed in greater detail in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser.No. 09/252,790, entitled “Method and System for Conducting ElectronicAuctions” filed Feb. 19, 1999, and U.S. patent application Ser. No.09/490,877, entitled “Method and System for Partial Quantity EvaluatedRank Bidding in Online Auctions” filed Jan. 24, 2000, the disclosures ofwhich are hereby expressly incorporated in the present application.

In a supplier-bidding auction or reverse auction, bids, which are oftenin the form of a price quote, typically start high and move downwardover time as bidders interact to establish a closing price. Typically,the auction marketplace is one-sided, with one buyer and many potentialsuppliers, although multiple-buyer auctions are possible. Typically,products are purchased in the form of components or materials.“Components” may include fabricated tangible pieces or parts that becomeparts of assemblies of durable products. Example components includegears, bearings, and appliance shelves. “Materials” may include bulkquantities of raw materials that are further transformed into products.Example materials include corn syrup and sheet steel. Services may alsobe purchased in such a reverse auction.

Industrial buyers do not typically purchase one component at a time.Rather, they tend to purchase whole families of similar components.Therefore, in a typical industrial supplier-bidding auction, productsare grouped together in “lots” of related items for bidding. In aregular lot bidding auction, each lot is composed of several “lineitems.” In the regular lot bidding auction, the suppliers bid on eachline item and the bidder 30 having the best bid for all of the parts inthe lot is the best bidder 30. The best bidder 30 is typically awarded acontract to supply the items in the lot. In an aggregate type lot bid, asingle bid for all of the line items is submitted by each bidder 30 andthe bidder 30 submitting the lowest aggregate price is the best bidder30. By lotting products, potential suppliers can bid on lots for whichthey are best suited, and are not typically required to bid on everylot. Such a division into lots beneficially reduces the barrier to entryfor new potential suppliers that only have capability to supply some ofthe needed products in the auction. Reducing the barrier to entry alsobenefits the purchaser by injecting additional bidders 30 into biddingfor certain lots.

Typically, components in a lot are related to one another such that itis more efficient to have a supplier provide all of the components inthat lot. As an example, a buyer might purchase a given plastic knob intwo different colors, or might purchase a nameplate in four differentlanguages. Those parts are so similar that it is nearly always moreefficient to purchase those related components from the same supplierbecause, for example, all of the knobs may be made using with same mold.Thus, such related items are typically grouped in a single “lot.” As isknown by one skilled in the art, there are many additional methods oflotting products for an auction.

The basic process for a purchaser sponsored supplier-bidding or reverseauction, as conducted by the assignee of the present invention, isdescribed below with reference to FIG. 1. FIG. 1 illustrates thefunctional elements and entities involved in setting up and conducting atypical supplier-bidding auction. FIG. 1A illustrates the creation of anauctioning event, FIG. 1B illustrates the bidding during an auction, andFIG. 1C illustrates results after completion of a successful auction.

As will be apparent to one skilled in the art, while the invention isgenerally described in terms of one buyer and multiple suppliers, thepresent invention may also be used in other types of electronic markets,such as auctions having multiple potential buyers and sellers, forwardauctions having a single seller and multiple potential purchasers,upward-bidding auctions, or electronic exchange marketplaces. The term“sponsor” will be utilized herein to identify the party or parties thatoriginate the auction. In a forward auction, for example, the sponsorwould typically be the supplier or seller of one or more goods orservices. In such a forward auction, that sponsor might state a goodthat it desires to sell and receive bids from parties wishing topurchase that good. Those parties wishing to purchase that good wouldfurthermore be “bidders” 30 in such a forward auction.

In a reverse auction example, the sponsor would typically be thepurchaser or buyer of one or more goods or services. In such a reverseauction, that supplier might state a good that it desires to purchaseand receive bids from parties wishing to supply that good. Those partieswishing to supply that good would furthermore be “bidders” 30 in such areverse auction.

In the typical supplier-bidding reverse auction model, the product orservice to be purchased is usually defined by the sponsor of theauction. As shown in FIG. 1A, when the sponsor 10 decides to use theauctioning system of the present invention to procure products orservices, the sponsor 10 provides information to an auction coordinator20. That information may include information about incumbent suppliersand historic prices paid for the products or services to be auctioned,for example. Typically, the sponsor 10 may also work with the auctioncoordinator 20 to define the products and services to be purchased inthe auction and, if desired, lot the products and services appropriatelyso that needed products and services can be procured using optimalauction dynamics. A specification may then be prepared for each desiredproduct or service, and a Request for Quotation (“RFQ”) generated forthe auction.

Next, the auction coordinator 20 typically identifies potentialsuppliers 30, preferably with input from the sponsor 10, and invites thepotential suppliers 30 to participate in the upcoming auction. Thesuppliers 30 that are selected to participate in the auction becomebidders 30 and may be given access to the RFQ, typically through an RFQin a tangible form, such as on paper or in an electronic format.

As shown in FIG. 1B, during a typical auction, bids are made for lots.Bidders 30 may submit actual unit prices for all line items within alot, however, the competition in an auction is typically based on theaggregate value bid for all line items within a lot. The aggregate valuebid for a lot may, therefore, depend on the level and mix of line itembids and the quantity of goods or services that are offered for eachline item. Thus, bidders 30 submitting bids at the line item level mayactually be competing on the lot level. During the auction, the sponsor10 can typically monitor the bidding as it occurs. Bidders 30 may alsobe given market feedback during the auction so that they may bidcompetitively.

Feedback, including bidder 30 identity, about bidding activity isreferred to as “market feedback” and includes any information or datarelated to the bidders 30 or their bids, interrelationships betweenthose bids, and any other bid related information or data that isreceived before or during the auction. Market feedback may include, forexample, bids that have been placed by other bidders 30, the rank of aparticipants bid in relation to one or more other bidders 30, theidentity of bidders 30, or any subset of that information. Marketfeedback may also include non-pricing information such as, for example,the quality of the goods to be provided by bidders 30 and shipping costsassociated with one or more bidders 30. Providing such market feedbackto bidders 30 in an auction helps create real-time competitiveinteraction among participants in the auction because, without feedback,bidders 30 who are not leading in an auction might not be aware or theirrelative position and would have less incentive to revise their pricequotes and place additional bids to remain competitive.

After the auction, the auction coordinator 20 may analyze the auctionresults with the sponsor 10. The sponsor 10 typically conducts finalqualification of the low bidding supplier or suppliers 30. The sponsor10 may furthermore retain the right not to award business to a lowbidding supplier 30 based on final qualification or other businessconcerns. As shown in FIG. 1C, at least one supply contract is usuallydrawn up and executed based on the results of the auction.

The auction may be conducted electronically between bidders 30 at theirrespective remote sites and the auction coordinator 20 at its site. Inan alternative embodiment, instead of the auction coordinator 20managing the auction at its site, the sponsor 10 may perform auctioncoordinator tasks at its site.

Information may be conveyed between the coordinator 20 and the bidders30 via any known communications medium. As shown in FIG. 2, bidders 30may be connected to the auction through the Internet via a networkservice provider 40 accessed, for example, through a dial-up telephoneconnection. Alternately, sponsors 10 and bidders 30 may be coupled tothe auction by communicating directly with the coordinator 20 through apublic switched telephone network, a wireless network, or any otherknown connection method. Other methods of connecting sponsors 10 andbidder 30 and other communications mediums are known to those skilled inthe art, and are intended to be included within the scope of the presentinvention.

A computer software application may be used to manage the auction. Thesoftware application may include two components: a client component 31and a server component 23. FIG. 3 illustrates a server component 23 anda client component 31 resident in host computers in a first embodiment.As may be seen in FIG. 3, the server component of that embodimentincludes an operating system 24, competitive bidding event or auctioncommunication software 26, and Internet protocol software 27. The serversoftware is hosted on a computer 20 having a processor 21, random accessmemory 22, and a data storage facility 23. The host computer 20 alsoincludes input and output devices 29 such as, for example a monitor,printer, mouse and keyboard, and a communications interface 28 forcommunicating with the client component 31. The client component of theembodiment illustrated in FIG. 3, includes competitive bidding eventcommunication software 37, and Internet protocol software 35. The clientcomponent software is hosted on a computer 32 having a processor 33,random access memory 34, and a data storage facility 36. The hostcomputer 32 also includes input and output devices 39 such as, forexample a monitor, printer, mouse and keyboard, and a communicationsinterface 38 for communicating with the server component 23.

The client component 31 is used by the bidders 30 to make bids duringthe auction, and to receive and display feedback from the auction. Theclient component may, for example, be a program that is installed on abidder's computer, or it may be software that is accessed and run from aWebsite. Bids can typically only be submitted using the client componentof the application, thereby ensuring that sponsors 10 cannot circumventthe bidding process, and that only invited suppliers 30 participate inthe bidding. Each computer software application may be stored in a datastorage device and executed by a processor such as those described inconnection with FIG. 4 hereinbelow.

Bids are sent over the communications medium to, for example, theauction coordinator, or where the sponsor 10 is performing auctioncoordination tasks, directly to the sponsor 10. Bids are received by theserver component 23. The client component includes software functionsfor making a connection over the Internet, or other medium, to theserver component. Bids are submitted over this connection and feedbackis sent to connected bidders 30.

When a bidder 30 submits a bid, that bid is sent to the server componentand evaluated to determine whether it is a valid or acceptable bid.Feedback about received bids is sent to connected bidders 30 as isapplicable, enabling bidders 30 receiving feedback to see changes inmarket conditions and plan competitive responses.

The embodiments described herein utilize an online reverse auction,wherein the present invention is performed by a computer processor, asan example in which the present invention may be utilized. In thoseexamples, suppliers 30 bid to supply goods or services to a purchaser 10and the purchaser 10 typically purchases the goods or services from thelowest priced qualified bidder 30. It is to be understood, however, thatthe present invention may be used in other applications, would notnecessarily have to occur online, and may be performed by other than acomputer processor. The present invention may also be utilized inconnection with auctions other than reverse auctions. For example, thepresent invention may be advantageously utilized with forward auctions,wherein the party offering the highest priced qualified bid, rather thanthe lowest priced qualified bid, is awarded the goods or services beingsold. In the case of a forward auction, the “leading bid” is the highestamount offered and the leading bidder 30 is the purchaser party 10making that highest offer, while in a reverse auction, the “leading bid”is the lowest amount offered and the leading bidder 30 is the supplierparty 30 making that lowest bid. Similarly, placing a “better bid” in areverse auction indicates placing a lower bid, while placing a “betterbid” in a forward auction indicates placing a higher bid.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an auction network 70 of the presentinvention for operating an auction, and into which the server component23 and client component 31 may be incorporated. The auction network 70may be divided into three functional sections: a client access network71, a communications network 73, and a data processing network 76. Theclient access network 71 may, for example, include one or more clientmachines 72 for accessing and communicating with the communicationsnetwork 73. The communications network 73 may include one or moreprimary communications servers 74, secondary communications servers 75,and directory, login and reporting servers 90. The data processingnetwork 76 may include production servers 77, training and reportingservers 80, reporting and training databases 86, and productiondatabases 84. The production servers 77 and training and reportingservers 80 are referred to collectively herein as bid servers 77 and 80.

The client machines 72 may be, for example, personal computers and maybe located at each bidder 30 and purchaser site 10 for accessing theauction. The client machines 72 may access the auction by, for example,connecting to a web site operated by the party hosting the auction. Theclient machines 72 may also receive software from the communicationsnetwork 73 that facilitates communications with the communicationsnetwork 73. Each client machine 72 may have a processor that executesapplicable software, and a data storage device that stores applicablesoftware and other auction data.

The primary communications servers 74 are utilized to provideinformation to bids 58 received from the client machines 72 to the bidservers 77 and 80, and to provide that bid information from the bidservers 77 and 80 to the client machines 72. The primary communicationsservers 74 may furthermore act as a firewall to prevent direct access tothe bid servers 77 and 80 by the client machines. The secondarycommunications servers 75 act as backups to the primary communicationsservers 74. The secondary communications servers 75 will perform thecommunication functions normally performed by the primary communicationsservers 74 if a failure occurs in the primary communications servers 74,thereby providing redundancy to the auction network 70.

The directory, login, and reporting servers 90 may perform a variety offunctions that may be performed by a single server or include separateservers for the various functions. The directory, login, and reportingservers 90 may include a web server that acts as a portal for access tothe auction network 70. As such, the directory, login, and reportingservers 90 will receive login requests for access to the auction network70 via, for example, the Internet. The directory, login, and reportingservers 90 may make access decisions as to whether a client machine 72is permitted to access the communications network 73. If access ispermitted, the directory, login, and reporting servers 90 will directthe client machine 72 to the appropriate portion of the auction network70. The directory, login, and reporting servers 90, may provide reportsto client machines 72. For example, information from prior auctionswhich may be utilized by purchasers 10 to make a decision as to whichbidder 30 will be awarded the sale and to permit the purchaser 10 toconsider the way in which the auction proceeded so that future auctionsmay be refined.

The production servers 77 run the bidding software that facilitates theauction process such as, for example, the software illustrated in FIGS.5 and 6. The production servers 77 may communicate with client machines72 through primary and secondary communications servers 74 and 75. Theproduction servers 77 may also be redundant so that if a failure occursin the production server 77 that is being utilized in an auction event,the redundant backup production server 77 may perform the functions ofthe failed production server 77 and, thus, prevent failure of theauction.

The training and reporting servers 80 operate in a manner similar to theproduction servers 77 and provide reports for auctions. It is useful tooperate test auctions to test the operating systems and to trainpersonnel and clients. Such testing may be performed on the productionservers 77 or, to prevent any degradation of system operation in actualauctions, one or more separate training servers may be utilized fortesting and training. Reporting may also be accomplished on theproduction servers 77 or the report creation functions may be offloadedto one or more reporting servers 80. The reporting servers 80 mayfurthermore be combined with the training servers 80.

Each server 74, 75, 77, 80, and 90 may have a processor that executesapplicable software, and a data storage device that stores applicablesoftware and data. It should be noted that, although the presentinvention is described in terms of a server component and a clientcomponent, one skilled in the art will understand that the presentinvention is not limited to a client/server program relationship model,and may be implemented in a peer-to-peer communications model or anyother model known to those skilled in the art.

Data related to auctions may furthermore be held in one or more storagedevices. The data storage devices may, for example, be a magneticstorage device, a random access memory device (RAM), or a read onlymemory device (ROM). The data may include pre-auction data, post auctiondata, and data that is related to active auctions. Pre-auction data mayinclude, for example, suppliers 30 that are permitted to bid on aparticular auction and the scheduled auction starting and ending times.Post auction data may include the bids and bid times received in aparticular auction and reports displaying that data in user friendlyformats. Active auction data may include data received from the bidders30 as the auction is taking place and related data such as the rank ofeach bidder 30.

The “rank” of the bidders 30 is generally determined by comparing thelowest amount bid by each bidder 30 and ordering the bidders 30according to those lowest bids. The bidder 30 ranked first is the bidder30 that has bid an amount lower than any other bidder 30 in a reverseauction. The last rank may be a rank equal to the number of bidders 30who have submitted bids in the auction, and the bidder 30 having thatlast rank is the bidder 30 that has submitted the highest amount in areverse auction that is based on price only. Of course, there are manyknown ways to calculate rank, and any of those may be used in connectionwith the subject invention. The other bidders 30 are generally rankedbetween first and last according to the amounts of their lowestsubmitted bids. Thus, a higher, or better ranked bidder 30 in a reverseauction is a bidder 30 who has placed a comparatively lower bid, while ahigher, or better ranked bidder 30 in a forward auction is a bidder 30who has placed a comparatively higher bid. An auction may alternately bebased on one or more factors other than price, such as quality, deliveryfactors, and/or other factors that are referred to herein collectivelyas “total value.” Thus, rank may also be based on factors other thanprice, including total value and any other factor that is useful in anauction setting. A bid or bid amount is a value that is submitted byeach participating bidder 30 for comparison to the bids of other bidders30, and may likewise be based on a variety of bid factors that areconsidered important to the bid participants. Those factors may include,for example, price, quality, other costs such as delivery costs, or atotal value. Bids may also be placed in a number of ways including, forexample, absolute total value, or comparative value such as bidding inrelation to an index price.

Three databases, or groupings of databases, are incorporated into theauction network illustrated in FIG. 4. The production databases 84 holddata that will be used by or is received from the production servers 77,while the reporting and training databases 86 hold data that will beused by or is received from the training and reporting servers 80.

The directory, login, and reporting servers 90 illustrated provide a webportal for the client machines 72. The directory, login, and reportingservers 90 provide an initial contact point for the client machines 72,access to auctions in which the client machine 72 is permitted toparticipate, and reports relating to active and closed auctions.

One skilled in the art will recognize that certain components of thenetwork described herein, while beneficial to an auction network, arenot necessary components in an operational auction network. For example,the secondary communications servers 75 could be removed where thebenefit of redundancy is not desired, and the primary communicationsservers 74 could be removed and the client machines 72 could communicatedirectly with the bid servers 77 and 80.

The present invention permits a sponsor 10 conducting more than oneauction to base the conduct of a subsequent auction on one or moreoccurrences in a previous auction. In one embodiment, the presentinvention includes a method of conducting an auction in at least tworounds. In that embodiment, a subsequent round of auction is conductedin accordance with a rule, that is defined prior to a preceding round ofauction and is based on one or more occurrences in the preceding auctionround. During or after the preceding round of auction, the occurrencesare considered in light of the rule, and a subsequent auction round isthen conducted utilizing the rule. The present invention may, forexample, be executed on the auction network 70, or may be operatedmanually or in connection with other known mechanisms.

Each auction round may be viewed as a separate auction whereinidentified goods or services are placed for auction, bidders 30 placebids to purchase or sell the identified goods or services, a predefinedperiod elapses after which the auction terminates and, typically, acontract is awarded for the sale of the identified goods or services.Furthermore, a contract is typically awarded to the lowest biddingsupplier or the highest bidding purchaser, depending on whethersuppliers or purchasers are bidding in the auction.

A sponsor 10 may wish to conduct an auction in several rounds for avariety of reasons including, for example, the need to purchase moregoods than may be supplied by the bidders 30 or a desire to learn froman early auction round and make alterations in subsequent rounds. Incertain circumstances, it is beneficial to award contracts to multiplebidders 30 in multiple rounds rather than awarding contracts to thelowest bidders 30 in a single auction round because market or biddingdynamics will cause total bid prices to be lower when bidding inmultiple rounds. For example, where multiple contracts will, or arelikely, to be awarded from a single auction, a bidder 30 may place bidsthat maintain that bidder 30 in second or higher rank, knowing that itwill be awarded a contract at a higher price in spite of not being thelowest bidder. Bidding in rounds may beneficially diminish the practiceof bidding for second or higher rank, because only the first ranked orlowest bidder is awarded a contract in each round.

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram 200 illustrating an embodiment of the presentinvention wherein a purchasing sponsor 10 desires to purchase a largequantity of goods, and wherein a second auction round will includequalified bidders 30 from a first auction round. At 202, the sponsor 10will typically prepare a request for quote (“RFQ”) describing the goodsto be purchased. At 204, that RFQ is provided to potential bidders 30.Each potential bidder 30 that desires to participate in the auction maythen respond to the RFQ at 206. The potential bidder 30 will typicallyrespond by indicating the desired goods that bidder 30 is willing toprovide, the quantity and quality of the goods that the bidder 30 canprovide, and conditions under which the bidder 30 can provide thosegoods in those quantities and qualities. Those conditions may includethe time period during which the identified goods may be provided. In acertain circumstance, none of the potential bidders 30 may be able toprovide the desired quantity of goods in the desired time period. Inanother circumstance certain bidders 30 may be able to provide theentire desired quantity of goods, while other bidders 30 cannot providethe entire quantity desired. In the latter circumstance, the sponsor 10may wish to permit those potential suppliers 30 that cannot provide theentire quantity of goods to participate in one or more rounds of theauction, for example, to assure that a minimum number of bidders 30participate in the auction, or because they are preferred suppliers 30.

The sponsor 10 may wish to contract for all of desired goods or servicesat one time despite of the inability of all bidders 30 to provide alldesired goods or services. Thus, the sponsor 10 may choose to awardcontracts to multiple low bidders 30 or may conduct multiple rounds ofbidding and award contracts to the lowest bidder 30 in each round untilthe total quantity of goods desired has been purchased. If the sponsor10 desires to conduct bidding in rounds, at 208, the sponsor 10 mayformulate a rule conditioning the inclusion of a bidder 30 in asubsequent auction round on that bidder 30 having not been awarded acontract in a preceding round. That rule may or may not be expressed topotential bidders 30 before the opening of, or during, a given auctionround. Thus at 210, the sponsor 10 may conduct a first round auction,the outcome of which is an award of a contract to the lowest bidder 30at 212. The sponsor 10 will then apply the rule that awarded bidders 30may not participate in subsequent rounds to an appropriate occurrence inthe first round of the auction at 214. In the present example, the ruleis applied to the outcome and, more specifically, to the awarded bidder30, to determine participation in the second auction round. Thus, in theexample of FIG. 5, the bidder 30 that is awarded a contract in the firstauction round may not participate in the second auction round. At 218,the sponsor 10 will determine whether additional goods or servicesshould to be purchased at that time, and if an additional purchase is tobe made, an additional auction round will be conducted. The sponsor 10will repeat the process of conducting an auction round at 210, awardinga contract at 212, applying the rule to the outcome at 214, anddetermining whether another auction round should be conducted at 218.Thus, the contract that is awarded each round may, for example, cover aportion of the entire quantity of goods or services desired to bepurchased in the auction.

When more than two rounds of bidding are contemplated, under thecircumstances described in connection with FIG. 5, the sponsor 10 maycondition participation in subsequent rounds on having not received anaward in any preceding round. Thus, the sponsor 10 may subtract theamount of goods purchased thus far in the auction from the amount ofgoods needed to determine whether additional goods need to be purchasedat 218. If additional goods need to be purchased, the sponsor 10 willtypically return to 210 and conduct an additional auction round thatdoes not include successful bidders 30 from previous rounds. The sponsor10 will then repeat the process of conducting an auction round at 210,awarding a contract at 212, applying the rule to the outcome at 214, anddetermining whether another auction round should be conducted at 218,until no further auction rounds are necessary.

FIG. 6 illustrates an embodiment of the present invention, wherein apurchasing sponsor 10 has little experience with electronic auctions, atleast in connection with goods to be purchased at that time, and whereinthe sponsor 10 will conduct a second auction round including qualifiedbidders 30 from a first auction round. Such a sponsor 10 may wish tolearn from an early auction round and make alterations in subsequentrounds. As in the example illustrated previously in FIG. 5, the sponsor10 prepares an RFQ at 302 and provides that RFQ to potential bidders 30at 304. At 306, the potential bidders 30 respond to the RFQ. In thespecific embodiment illustrated in FIG. 6, the sponsor 10 is interestedin determining which bidders 30 will actively participate in an initialauction round. Therefore, the sponsor 10 will initiate a first auctionround for purchasing a portion of the total goods to be purchased in theauction. Prior to conducting the first auction round, however, thesponsor 10 will create a rule at 308 for including a bidder 30 in asubsequent auction round that is based on an occurrence in the firstauction round. That rule may or may not be expressed to the potentialbidders 30. The rule utilized in the example depicted in FIG. 6 limitsinclusion in subsequent auction rounds to bidders 30 ranking in the topthree bidders 30 in the first auction round. Thus, only the top threebidders 30 in the first auction round will be permitted to participatein subsequent auction rounds. Reasons for limiting the number of bidders30 include, but are not limited to, a desire to minimize the number ofentities that may view the auction to protect privacy, to remove bidders30 who are unlikely to be competitive, and to narrow the field forinteractive bidding in order to reduce the number of bidders to onlythose that will be active and save on computer and human resources thatsupport the auction. Other rules that may be utilized include, but arenot limited to, permitting only those bidders 30 that place a minimumnumber of bids to participate subsequently, allowing only those bidders30 whose best bids fall within a certain number or percentage of dollarsor other units of the leading bid to participate in subsequent auctionrounds, and/or allowing only non-leading bidders (i.e., bidders that didnot win an award in a previous round) to participate in a subsequentround. Other factors, such as quality, could also be utilized informulating the rules. In an auction where geographic location isimportant, the bidders that are permitted to participate in a subsequentround may, for example, be those that are both competitive in pricingand are located close to the sponsor. A rule could thus be establishedthat creates a ranking that includes both bid price and distance. Whenfactored together, a different list of bidders might be formed than ifprice alone were used.

After the rule has been formulated, an auction round will be conductedat 310. At 314, the rule is applied to the appropriate occurrence oroccurrences of the first auction round to select, in the exampleprovided in FIG. 6, the three lead bidders 30 for participation in thenext auction round. At 318, a determination is made as to whetheranother auction round is to be conducted. If another auction round is tobe conducted, the sponsor 10 will repeat the process of conducting anauction round at 310, applying the rule to the outcome at 314, anddetermining whether another auction round should be conducted at 318,until no further auction rounds are necessary. It is noted that a ruleformulated in, for example, a first round auction, may be applied to oneor more subsequent auction rounds. Furthermore, additional rules may bedeveloped in rounds subsequent to the first round. Thus a single rule,formulated during or after the first auction, may, for example, be theonly rule applied to subsequent auction rounds. Alternately, one or morerules formulated in preceding rounds may be applied in varyingcombinations to subsequent auction rounds. Also, in multiple roundauctions, no rule may be applied to certain rounds.

Various forms of auctions may also be utilized in different rounds inthe present invention. For example, a purchasing sponsor 10 may conducta sealed bid type first round auction, wherein each bidder 30 submits asingle bid to the sponsor 10 in, for example, a sealed envelope, orthrough an electronic sealed bid collection mechanism. The sponsor 10may then view all of the bids at a prearranged time. The sponsor 10 mayselect a winning bidder 30, usually on the basis of the lowest bidsubmitted, at that time, or the sponsor may use the sealed bids solelyto make a decision as to how the second round auction will be conducted.The second round auction could then be, for example, an electronicauction in which only bidders 30 qualifying in the first round auctionare permitted to participate. For example, in a certain auction a firstround sealed bid is used to determine which bidders 30 qualify toparticipate in a second round auction to follow.

In another example, a large base of suppliers, which may be, forexample, two hundred suppliers, would create a cumbersome electronicauction if all two hundred suppliers participated in that auction. Thus,it may be beneficial to have a simplified round of bidding followingwhich only the best ranked bidders are allowed to move on to aninteractive auction. In this example the two hundred bidders may submitbids in an offline auction round. The top bidders may then be allowed toparticipate in a second, online auction round. Thus, for example, thetop ten percent, or twenty bidders in the example provided, in the firstround auction may be permitted to participate in the second onlineauction round.

In another embodiment, wherein similar or identical goods or servicesare purchased in both the first and second rounds, the first round priceis utilized as an initial and/or ceiling bid for each bidder 30 in thesecond round. Where the sealed bid is utilized as an initial and aceiling bid, the sealed bid price submitted by each bidder 30 qualifyingto participate in the second round auction is entered as an initial bidfor that bidder 30 at the beginning of the second round auction andbidders 30 are not permitted to place bids greater than that initialceiling bid throughout the second round auction. Of course, the initialceiling bid may also be utilized in additional rounds subsequent to thesecond round. Furthermore, as may be seen in the previous example,multiple rules may be formulated from one or more auction rounds andthose rules may determine which bidders 30 qualify to participate infuture rounds, bidder 30 initial bid pricing, and/or ceiling bid levelfor each bidder 30. As will be recognized by one skilled in the art, anyof a variety of decisions that may be based on prior bidding history mayalso be considered when determining rules and conditions for subsequentauction rounds. For example, the quantity of goods to be auctioned in around may be determined by pricing levels achieved for variousquantities in previous rounds or quantities offered by bidders inprevious rounds.

In certain circumstances, a purchasing sponsor 10 may desire to purchasegoods from two or more suppliers 30. In such a situation, a singlesupplier 30 may be able to provide the entire quantity of goods desired.Multiple bidders 30, furthermore, typically do not place equal low bids.Thus, there may be a financial benefit to the sponsor 10 to purchase allgoods from the lowest bidding supplier 30. The sponsor 10 may, however,desire to purchase goods from multiple bidders 30, for example, toassure a steady supply of goods where the sponsor 10 envisions alikelihood that one supplier 30 may, for example, have productionproblems that interrupt delivery of a critical component. The sponsor 10may, therefore, wish to award contracts to multiple low bidders 30 ormay conduct multiple rounds of bidding and award contracts to the lowestbidder 30 in each round until the total quantity of goods desired hasbeen purchased.

An embodiment of the present invention, wherein the sponsor 10 wishes topurchase a good from two suppliers 30 in two auction rounds to assure asteady supply of that critical good, is described with reference to FIG.5. In that embodiment, that critical good is a necessary component foroperation of many products manufactured by the sponsor 10. Furthermore,the sponsor 10 has previously experienced shortages of the critical goodbecause a single supplier 30 had encountered production problems. Thus,the sponsor 10 wishes to purchase between 50% and 70% of the expectedsupply of the critical good that the sponsor 10 will need over the nextyear from a single bidder 30 in a first round auction. The sponsor 10wishes furthermore to purchase the remainder of the critical good thatit will need over the next year from a different single bidder in asecond round auction.

The critical good embodiment will be further described with reference toFIG. 5, and the critical good will be assumed to be an integratedcircuit. Thus, at 202 of FIG. 5, the sponsor 10 prepares an RFQ statingits integrated circuit requirements including the quantity of integratedcircuits that are projected to be needed over the next year, and arequirement that any participating bidder 30 must be able to provide atleast 50% of the total quantity needed over the next year. The sponsor10 also provides an optional statement in the RFQ informing the bidders30 that the auction will be conducted in two rounds and only 50% to 70%of the total integrated circuit requirement will be purchased from thesuccessful bidder 30 in the first auction round. The RFQ is provided topotential suppliers 30 at 204 and the potential suppliers 30 respond tothe RFQ at 206. As previously discussed in connection with FIG. 5, thesponsor 10 formulates a rule conditioning the inclusion of a bidder 30in a subsequent auction round on that bidder 30 having not been awardeda contract in a preceding round. Thus, as desired, the bidder 30 awardeda contract in the first auction round will not participate in the secondauction round, and so may not be awarded an additional contract in thesecond auction round. At 210, the sponsor 10 conducts a first roundauction, the outcome of which is an award of a contract to the lowestbidder 30, at 212. That bidder 30 may be given an option at the time ofthe award to select the quantity of integrated circuits that it willprovide under the contract, with the constraints that the awarded bidder30 must provide between 50% and 70% of the total requirements.Alternately, the awarded bidder 30 may state the maximum quantity ofintegrated circuits that it can provide prior to commencement of theauction and be awarded the lesser of that maximum quantity or 70% of thesponsor requirement, for example. The contracted quantity of goods mayalso be provided by utilizing any other known method of making such adetermination. The sponsor 10 will then apply the rule that awardedbidders 30 may not participate in subsequent rounds to the secondauction round at 214, and conduct a second auction round accordingly.The winning bidder 30 in the second auction round will then be awarded acontract for the remaining quantity of goods required by the sponsor 10.

While the invention has been described in detail and with reference tospecific embodiments thereof, it will be apparent to one skilled in theart that various changes and modifications can be made therein withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope thereof. In particular, it should benoted that while the auction functions described above have beendescribed in the context of downward pricing (reverse) auctions, theauction functions can be equally applied to upward pricing (forward)auctions. Thus, it is intended that the present invention cover themodifications and variations of this invention provided they come withinthe scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

1. A method of conducting an auction, comprising: defining, prior to afirst auction, a rule for a second auction based at least in part onuser input, the rule limiting participation of bidders in the secondauction based on an occurrence in the first auction; conducting thefirst auction; and conducting the second auction in accordance with anapplication of the rule to an occurrence in the first auction.
 2. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the occurrence includes an outcome of thefirst auction.
 3. (canceled)
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the ruleincludes selecting at least two leading bidders from the first auction.5. The method of claim 4, wherein the rule includes permitting only theat least two leading bidders to participate in the second auction. 6.(canceled)
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the rule includes notpermitting a winning bidder of the first auction to participate in thesecond auction.
 8. (canceled)
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein thebidders are electronically coupled to an auction coordinator during theconducting of the first and second auctions.
 10. The method of claim 9,wherein the bidders submit bids to the auction coordinator online duringthe conducting of the first and second auctions.
 11. The method of claim1, wherein the first auction is a reverse auction.
 12. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the first auction is a forward auction.
 13. (canceled)14. The method of claim 1, wherein the rule includes permitting onlybidders bidding less than a predetermined amount in the first auction toparticipate in the second auction. 15-29. (canceled)
 30. A system forconducting an auction, comprising: a processor configured to: define,prior to a first auction, a rule for a second auction based at least inpart on user input, the rule limiting participation of bidders in thesecond auction based on an occurrence in the first auction; conduct thefirst auction; and conduct the second auction in accordance with anapplication of the rule to an occurrence in the first auction; and amemory coupled to the processor and configured to provide the processorwith instructions.
 31. The system of claim 30, wherein the occurrenceincludes an outcome of the first auction.
 32. The system of claim 30,wherein the rule includes selecting at least two leading bidders fromthe first auction.
 33. The system of claim 30, wherein the rule includesnot permitting a winning bidder of the first auction to participate inthe second auction.
 34. The system of claim 30, wherein the firstauction is a reverse auction.
 35. The system of claim 30, wherein thefirst auction is a forward auction.
 36. A computer program product forconducting an auction, the computer program product being embodied in atangible computer readable storage medium and comprising computerinstructions for: defining, prior to a first auction, a rule for asecond auction based at least in part on user input, the rule limitingparticipation of bidders in the second auction based on an occurrence inthe first auction; conducting the first auction; and conducting thesecond auction in accordance with an application of the rule to anoccurrence in the first auction.
 37. The computer program product ofclaim 36, wherein the occurrence includes an outcome of the firstauction.
 38. The computer program product of claim 36, wherein the ruleincludes not permitting a winning bidder of the first auction toparticipate in the second auction.
 39. The computer program product ofclaim 36, wherein the rule includes permitting only bidders bidding lessthan a predetermined amount in the first auction to participate in thesecond auction.